Hurricanes Irma and Harvey Caused U.S. Economy to Lose Jobs in September

The September jobs report is out. It showed that the US economy shed jobs for the first time since 2010, something the Bureau of Labor Statistics blamed on the damage caused by the hurricanes Irma and Harvey.

In a release Friday, the BLS said the hurricanes affected the payroll jobs number but not the unemployment rate.

“It is likely that the payroll employment estimates for September were lower due to the effects of Hurricanes Irma and Harvey,” William J. Wiatrowski, the acting BLS commissioner, said in the release.

“The storms caused large-scale evacuations and severe damage to many homes and businesses,” he continued.

“Many employees in the areas affected by the hurricanes were likely off payrolls during the reference pay period for September.”

Nonfarm payrolls fell by 33,000 in September, according to the BLS. Most of the losses occurred in the leisure-and-hospitality sector.